The American Astronomical Society Division of Planetary Sciences (AAS DPS) held a full day of sessions October 9 at its annual conference in Pasadena, California. Monday’s sessions included talks on extrasolar planets, the origin of satellites, outer-planet atmospheres, and comet nuclei. Scientists gave mission highlights on Venus Express, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity, and asteroid 1 Ceres. A 90-minute session is composed of 9 speakers, with each...

Today marks the 160th anniversary of Neptune's discovery by English astronomer William Lassell. Lassell also discovered Ariel and Umbriel, satellites of Uranus; Triton, a satellite of Neptune; and Hyperion, a satellite of Saturn. William Bond and George Bond also independently discovered Hyperion. William Lassell was a Liverpool businessman-turned-astronomer who had made his fortune in brewing. If you would like to take a look at Neptune, by midevening on October nights, bin...

If you think litter is a problem here on Earth, consider the junk that orbits our planet. From nuts and bolts to gloves and other stuff left over from space missions, this trash is downright dangerous. Add to that the natural debris (meteroids) that orbit our planet, and you can see we have to be careful with our spacecraft and crews. That was demonstrated when a radiator on space shuttle Atlantis was punctured by a tiny piece of space debris during its recent mission. The hole was...

I want to draw your attention to our weekly podcasts, coordinated and hosted by Assistant Editor Jeremy McGovern. Available under the “perspectives” section on our home page, the podcasts have commenced to rave reviews from listeners. Thus far, we have featured such diverse topics as Pluto’s demotion (addressed by Mike Brown of Caltech, Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute, and discoverer Clyde Tombaugh’s widow Patsy); the latest on exoplanets from Senior Editor...

In the December 2004 Astronomy, then-Assistant Editor Matt Quandt profiled Raad Ali Abdulaziz, an Iraqi amateur astronomer, engineer, and humanitarian. Just as the story was getting ready to go to press, our whole staff experienced a chilling morning when we learned that Raad, along with three other aid workers, was kidnapped in Baghdad by Islamic extremists. Just before the issue went to press, we suddenly learned the drama concluded well, with the group, Raad included, being released unharmed....

Congratulations to Celestial North, Inc., an astronomy club based in Freeland, Washington! Last September, Celestial North became the recipient of Astronomy magazine’s first annual Out-of-this-World Award, which recognizes ongoing astronomy club outreach efforts. The $2,500 prize rewards Celestial North’s sustained efforts to involve the Puget Sound community in the science and hobby of astronomy. Astronomy magazine editors chose Celestial North from 32 clubs throughout the United S...

Scientists at Cornell University have found strong solar flares can cause Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to fail. These generally unpredictable and abnormal solar belches could be devastating for “safety-of-life” GPS operations, such as navigating passenger jets, stabilizing floating oil rigs, and locating mobile-phone distress calls. “Soon the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] will require that every plane have a GPS receiver transmitting its position to air tra...

Eighty-eight constellations cover the sky. No gaps exist between them, and there's no overlap. It's a logical system where every object — star, planet, or galaxy — resides within one constellation's boundaries. This arrangement resembles a map of the United States. Everything in the country belongs to one state (or the District of Columbia). A few quirks exist. For example, you can find a small Kansas City in Kansas and a huge Kansas City in Missouri. Don't ask.The co...

Bison Books has published the first-ever English translation of The Meteor Hunt by Jules Verne. The French writer left the novel to us when he passed away in 1905. In this novel, a meteor of pure gold heads toward Earth, setting off excitement and chaos. The Meteor Hunt provides Verne’s view of turn-of-the-century science. Of particular interest to the investigative reader are notes from editors and translators Frederick Paul Walker and Walter James Miller following the translated text. S...

The European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter recently captured a view of the Cydonia region, site of the famous “Face on Mars.” NASA’s Viking I revealed this ruddy mug to us back in July 1976. This region isn’t only of interest to sci-fi fans and alien life-form speculators, but to planetary geologists. In areas adjacent to Cydonia, gently sloping areas surrounding hills or reliefs, formations known as “debris aprons,” are frequently found. The...

Statistics show Astronomy's loyal followers divide along two paths: "Armchair astronomers," who read about astronomy, and hobbyists, who observe. Of course, we want everyone to read about our favorite subject — we're learning so much about the universe that's new and wonderful — but armchair astronomers only read. I find this behavior puzzling.You don't need expensive equipment to observe. Heck, you don't need any equipment at all. Let me give you an exa...

The stars at night were big and bright when the Astronomical League gathered this month in Arlington, Texas. The meeting, dubbed ALConEXPO 2006, was held August 4–5, 2006, and attracted about 150 amateur astronomers who came to hear speakers, talk about the Astronomical League’s activities, enjoy star parties, and marvel at the nearby Oscar Monnig Meteorite Gallery at Texas Christian University. Although it was a small meeting by past standards, the event was packed with energy. The...

Thank you for visiting our new blog.Here, the staff of Astronomy magazine will share our stories, views, reviews, and anything cool we see in the news. We also will report from star parties and science conferences we attend.Check back as we update this blog....